Woman Has Lived in House Rent-Free for 8 Years - Landlord Forum thread 325007

Woman Has Lived in House Rent-Free for 8 Years by Big Bill (NeYark) on September 27, 2014 @21:21

FOUND THIS ON THE WEB- JUST PASSING IT ALONG FYI:
(Newser) – For eight years, Lisa Hardy has lived in a three-bedroom house in Indianapolis, paying her utilities, growing a garden, and raising her three children. The only thing that sets her apart from most other parents across America: She hasn't paid a cent in rent or mortgage payments. And the 1,490-square-foot house wasn't a gift or inheritance—it's just that no landlord or city tax official ever showed up to make her pay up or get out, the Indianapolis Star reports. "[It's] kind of a bizarre case," says the director of housing for a local legal clinic, who explains that after the mortgage crisis hit Indianapolis in 2004, "there were so many bad loans out there that ownership really got kind of confusing. ... There are still a lot of properties that are kind of in limbo." In 2005, Hardy's former employer, a property management group, offered her the chance to live rent-free in the house for as long as she worked for the company. But the company went out of business the following year, and Hardy appeared to fall through the mortgage and municipal cracks: She kept paying her utility bills, and when she called the city to ask what she should do about the delinquent property taxes, officials told her it wasn't her problem because she wasn't the owner. The city was aware of the home's status but was simply overwhelmed with an influx of tax-delinquent homes it had to dump. Now, however, the home has finally been sold at a tax sale, and Hardy hopes she can work something out with the new owner to become the (official) tenant. "There's not one day I haven't thanked the good Lord for the opportunity to live here without rent," she tells the Star.

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Re: Woman Has Lived in House Rent-Free for 8 Years by John (MD) on September 27, 2014 @22:00	[ Reply ]

This is rare circumstance. I guess the guy/company who allowed her to live rent free never created a lease!!! Even though it's free you still need to create a lease showing "monthly rent is 0.00 per month". At least when the lease expires he won't renew it again....

Re: Woman Has Lived in House Rent-Free for 8 Years by MassLL (MA) on September 28, 2014 @09:35	[ Reply ]

She had a fantastic opportunity to save up for a down payment on a house. Too bad she didn't do that and buy this house.

Re: Woman Has Lived in House Rent-Free for 8 Years

Re: Woman Has Lived in House Rent-Free for 8 Years by Anonymous on September 28, 2014 @12:45	[ Reply ]

housing is a basic human right in this great country, everyone should has a polace to live. none should be asked to pay for anything to exercise his/her basic human right in this country. the other ways to get a free housing are suing your landlords for anything you may have with you, or filling for bankrupcy...

Re: Woman Has Lived in House Rent-Free for 8 Years by Kim (WV) on September 28, 2014 @13:11	[ Reply ]

Let's say she would have been paying $700 a month in rent for a 3 bedroom house. If she had saved that amount, that would have been a total of $8400 a year, and in 8 years time that would have been a total of $67,200. Down payment? Heck, she might have been able to buy the place outright. I just checked Realtor.com and found there are 315 properties in Indianpolis for sale with a minimum of 3 bedrooms which are priced between $50,000 and $67,000. There are some that look quite nice, judging from the pictures shown. That woman is a fool...and a fool and her money are soon parted. I don't know that I would rent to her, if she didn't have the gumption to save enough (in 8 years of living rent free) to buy her own home. And how would she pass a regular LL's screening? She's got no landlord reference and no rental history for the last 8 years!

Re: Woman Has Lived in House Rent-Free for 8 Years